Iraq summons Turkey ambassador over military presence

Iraq’s foreign ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad to protest what it said were "provocative" comments made in Ankara about keeping Turkish troops in northern Iraq, a ministry spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Turkish parliament decided last week to extend a mandate that allows military operations against militant organizations in Iraq and Syria for another year.

Turkey says it deployed troops at a base in northern Iraq late last year as part of an international mission to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight against Islamic State, which controls a swathe of territory south of the border region, around the city of Mosul, and also in neighboring Syria.

The Iraqi government says it never invited such a force and considers the Turkish troops occupiers.